Chocolate: A Valentine Special
by brakken
Summary: It's Valentine's Day and Kagome finally gets a date for the first time. Somehow things don't go quite as wonderfully as planned though; will Inuyasha be able to make it up to her? Both learn a Valentine's virtue: Never underestimate the power of chocolate


**Disclaimer**: I don't own Charlie's Angels or even sniff Inuyasha for that matter. No matter how much I beg…To add insult to injury, I don't own Cadbury's chocolates either. They really don't know when to stop, do they?

* * *

Chocolate: A Valentine Special

Kagome was dancing through a field of wildflowers. Every thing seemed to be right at that moment; the sun was shining, the birds were singing, the flowers were blooming. Kagome felt transcendentally happy and at peace with the world, and couldn't help but spin on the spot, filled with joy.

That is, she tried to spin on the spot- she only got so far as about 180 degrees before bumping into something large and firm. And promptly falling down on her bum. She looked up in innocent surprise and curiosity; wherever she was, she was incapable of worry or fear, or even the pain from the fall it seemed; and her smile returned all the wider as she recognized her favorite hanyou.

Given her own lack of inhibitions, she swiftly stood and reached up to tweak his ears, and received a purr of all things as a response. Well, the first response. Giggling, she lowered her hands from his head, only for him to grasp them in his own. She looked up at him, not daring to hope, even in this hazy perfect world of joy and bunnies.

He looked down at her in perfect contentment, almost equal to her own, and slowly lowered his head, closing the gap between them, their faces mere centimeters apart…

"Kagome-chan! Wake up! Class is over, didn't you hear the bell?" Yuka shook her mercilessly.

"Whaaa?" Kagome managed as a groggy response. She slowly realized that she was in her classroom, having fallen asleep during her last class of the day- no flowery meadows or chirping birds in sight, only desks and chattering students.

"Maybe she was dreaming about the guy she likes and that's why she doesn't want to wake up." Ayumi whispered to the other two, quietly enough she thought.

Not quietly enough however to escape Kagome's hearing, sharpened by her adventures in the Sengoku Jidai. That little comment was what woke her up properly. Until that moment she hadn't had a firm grasp on her dream- it was all so foggy still- but at those words it all came back in a rush that left her blushing and indignant, and a little surprised at herself. She didn't like Inuyasha that much, did she? She did worry over him overmuch when he was fighting- what if he got injured? What if he didn't heal normally? What if, what if, what if- was the way her mind ran during battles. But that didn't mean she wanted him to (gulp) kiss her, did it? She was just worried about him! Or maybe he'd been about to do something else in the dream, yes that was it, he was about to-

Her thoughts were interrupted rather rudely by Eri's next comment, and she completely lost her train of thought.

"So, Kagome-chan, what were you dreaming about? Was it Hojo? Or!" Her tone turned from sly to downright malicious "Was it that badass boyfriend of yours?"

"What makes you think I would be dreaming about them?" Kagome stalled, trying to keep from blushing. She failed miserably.

"Well, you did have this look on your face-" Yuka stuck in.

"What kind of look?!" Kagome was slightly panicked. This couldn't be for real, could it?

"You looked like you'd died and gone to heaven, only better-" Eri chuckled darkly.

"What?! How?" She was really freaked out now, she didn't like him that way at all, did she?

"You were grinning like a maniac the whole time! I don't think I've ever seen you that happy-!" Ayumi smiled innocently at her.

"What kind of happy?" she was almost too scared to ask. "Like I just got a new kitten?" she queried hopefully.

"Nah, more like you were totally love-struck- kittens don't really get that kind of reaction." Yuka grinned.

"Love-struck, did you say?" she squeaked.

"Head over heels!" All three of her friends chorused, grinning like maniacs themselves. Sadistic ones in Kagome's book. Evil, malicious, sadistic-

"So who was it? Hojo or the badass?" They broke her from her silent curses, only to illicit more.

Quite a few lovely phrases she'd learned from Inuyasha flashed through her mind in the stressful moments before she spoke. She couldn't answer that question to them! She'd just realized herself what it meant, what she couldn't deny; she wasn't about to go blabbing about it, not when she still wasn't sure herself!

"What makes you think I was dreaming about a boy? I might have been dreaming about, about," she fumbled around for something to satisfy these heathens "About chocolate!" she silently patted herself on the back. It wasn't much, but it was something.

A moment of silence as the three heathens stared at her in amazement.

"Huh?" was the general response.

Kagome rolled her eyes in fake annoyance. "I was dreaming about chocolate, endless amounts of chocolate, you know how much I love chocolate!"

"Are you sure? Because I don't think that chocolate would really get that kind of reaction either-" Yuka's dubious comment was cut off by something very scary, something all three girls feared intensely: Kagome's fake smile. All three recoiled in horror, forgetting the conversation for a moment.

"No, I was dreaming about chocolate." The voice that came with the pseudo-smile of death wasn't much better.

"Well, I guess that makes sense…We only thought it would be a boy seeing as it's Valentine's Day tomorrow, but chocolate makes sense too." Eri spoke for them all- she had been the one to start the interrogation in the first place.

"It is?" The feared grin and voice disappeared, thank god.

"What?! You've been sick so much you forgot?!" Yuka and Eri were beside themselves; Ayumi just looked down in sympathy and pity.

"Of course I didn't forget, I just-" Kagome stammered, embarrassed.

"Forgot." Yuka supplied, her look filled with determination. In fact, so was the look of the other two too…It was almost as if they had some secret plan, some mission on their hands that she hadn't been informed of.

"Only for a moment!" Kagome burst out desperately, a little worried at their postures; they reminded her a bit too much of Charlie's Angels.

"Fine then, what are you doing for Valentine's Day?" They stared hard at her, daring her to answer truthfully.

Kagome gulped, trying to think of some lie or excuse they wouldn't stomp out immediately.

"Exactly. We'll take over from here, there is no way a nice girl like you is spending Valentine's day at home with her family!" Ah. So she was the mission. It figured. Her friends had always been a bit over-fond of playing matchmakers in her love life.

Fortunately it was the end of the day, so Kagome managed to escape them on the way home after only a few plans to set her up with the hottest guys in school had been discussed. So far they'd all been shot down one way or another (Kagome was very grateful to her friend's flights of fancy- if they'd used any physically possible means to set her up with someone, then she would have been in trouble) and so Kagome was still dateless when they parted ways.

She was grateful to their enthusiasm and illogical ideas, but she couldn't help her heavy heart. Dateless on Valentine's Day again. The Sengoku Jidai might have run away with most of the features of her old life, but this one remained.

She might have finally realized the love she had found in the Feudal Era, but that didn't leave her any less alone than ever before.

* * *

Inuyasha was sulking. Nothing new there really, Kagome was on the other side after all. Sulking was his normal state of mind whenever she wasn't around. That and waiting impatiently, although the two tended to overlap. It didn't help his mood any to have a nosy kitsune at his knee, a breathing ginger-haired ball born to provoke. 

"Inuyasha, when is Kagome coming back?"

Growl. Inuyasha clamped down on his instinct to punch the kid immediately, but it was beyond him to give a civil answer- he'd barely won the battle over his compulsion to begin with.

"Inuyasha! Didn't she say she was going to come back earlier today? Isn't she late?"

Another growl. It was getting harder and harder to resist the urge to answer with violence. His fist clenched and unclenched, trembling a little.

"Do you think she's tired of coming here? Maybe she got fed up with your attitude and two-timing habits. She probably found someone better in her own time." Shippo had a sage-like quality to his voice, but his response was anything but wise.

Alright, battle lost. Inuyasha was no longer responsible for his actions. Comments like that could not be ignored, no matter how forgiving or calm you were- and Inuyasha wasn't exactly the epitome of either of those virtues.

"OWWW! I'm telling Kagome when she gets back, you meanie!" Shippo yelled at his back as he made his way towards the well, now sporting an unusually large red bump on his forehead.

Inuyasha frankly didn't care. So long as Kagome came back, he would be happy. But enough was enough- as much as he hated to admit it, the brat had been right, Kagome was late for some reason or another, and that was as much as an invitation for him to go to her time and drag her back.

* * *

Hojo was feeling a bit nervous as he climbed the shrine steps. Not about Kagome being more interested in someone else of course- such self-doubts were far beyond his innocently oblivious mind. No, he was worried that she might be too ill to go out with him for Valentine's Day. She had missed a lot of school lately, so much that he hadn't seen her in almost a month, so who knew how up to it she might feel? He had to ask her though. Who else could he ask? Just to try and ensure her assent, he'd brought some flowers and some more health-care equipment- he didn't really know the proper treatment for rheumatism (her most recent affliction), but at least it would look like he'd tried. Even if she was sick, she was sure to say yes- it was Valentine's Day after all. 

So with that hopeful thought, he finally rang her doorbell, and smiled as the door opened.

"Higurashi!" he started.

* * *

Inuyasha sighed in disappointment as he leapt into Kagome's room. Her scent was all over it, but comforting as the aroma was, _she_ was absent. Probably at that 'school' thing again. After taking one final breath to calm himself- he was still angry at and a little worried by Shippo's comments- he went down the stairs to speak with Mrs. Higurashi. Perhaps she knew when her daughter would be back. 

As he entered the living room, the doorbell rang. Mrs. Higurashi, busy washing dishes in the kitchen and unaware that Inuyasha was there, let alone the only other one in the house, called out: "Could someone please answer the door? I'm too busy right now, it's probably Kagome coming home from school."

Well, that was no problem for Inuyasha. Just the girl he wanted to see. He walked quickly towards the door, grabbing his customary baseball cap on his way, opening the door just enough for him to see the person who rang it, but not allow them entry, his face a scowl as he considered the best way to drag her back. And figure out if Shippo's comments had been right.

"Kagome…" he started.

Hojo looked at him in surprise, dropping the smile, a bit disappointed and confused.

"You're not Higurashi! Where is she?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha answered, equally confused. Who the hell was this? And who was Higurashi? Then he remembered- this was the guy who'd been to Kagome's house when she was sick. He'd called her Higurashi then too- her surname if Inuyasha remembered correctly. What the hell was he doing here?

"Excuse me, but do you know where Higurashi is? I'd like to speak with her if you please." Hojo interrupted his thoughts as politely as possible. Just because you were speaking to someone you didn't know was no reason to be rude to them, right?

The feeling wasn't exactly mutual. "Keh. Obviously she's not here baka. What's it to you?"

"Well, I wanted to talk to her…" Hojo began, a little put off, wondering where Kagome might be, not really noticing the suspicious glare directed his way. He hesitated, then tested his previous theory. "She's not too ill to come to the door, is she? She didn't get something worse after the rheumatism?"

Inuyasha just stared at him for a moment, dumbstruck. What the hell was this guy talking about? Kagome wasn't sick, was she? No, she couldn't be, the scent in her room had been recent and quite healthy. So what was this idiot blabbing about?

Just as he opened his mouth, a nasty retort and interrogation planned to reveal this bastard's reasons for wanting to talk to Kagome, a familiar voice's shout caught their attention.

"Hojo-kun! What are you doing here?" Kagome ran up to the house, a little out of breath from her mad sprint after spotting the two of them, using her gasps as an excuse to stop talking while she did damage control. Inuyasha and Hojo talking wasn't exactly her idea of the most peaceful conversation, although so far it seemed that Inuyasha hadn't figured out who Hojo was yet. Well, she could be wrong, but Hojo being in a state other than bruised, bloodied, or ribbons seemed a pretty good indication.

"Higurashi! I'm so glad to see you healthy again! Did you go to school today? I must have missed you, I thought you were still out with rheumatism like last week." Hojo smiled, unintentionally avoiding her questions.

Inuyasha looked questioningly at Kagome. Rheumatism? What the heck was this guy saying? And more importantly, why the hell was he smiling like that at Kagome? He felt his hackles rise as he noticed the flowers in Hojo's hands, the hope in his eyes, and remembered his earlier comments.

Kagome, sensing Inuyasha finally putting two and two together, rushed to get him away from Hojo. Grabbing the flowers quickly and making a show of sniffing them, she gave Hojo a fake smile.

"Oh, are these for me? Thank you Hojo-kun. I hope you'll excuse me while I put these in some water! Inuyasha," (he was smart enough to notice the death note underneath her seemingly sweet tone) "you can come help me get the vase." Gripping his wrist tightly, she dragged him inside with the flowers, shutting the door behind her, and immediately dropping the flowers on the nearby table, leaving only a mildly curious Hojo in her wake.

But before she could properly escape, the door still a fraction ajar (damn hinges), Hojo spluttered out what he'd come for in the first place. "Higurashi, since you're well, will you go out with me tomorrow for Valentine's Day?"

"Hold on a moment, Hojo-kun-" Kagome feigned deafness as she pushed on the stiff door with all her might. The door closed properly, Kagome turned to meet Inuyasha's glare.

"What?" she asked, surprised at his animosity. She hadn't done anything wrong, had she?

"Don't give me that wench. Who the hell was that?" He narrowed his eyes at her, very suspicious. He hadn't missed that parting remark either, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Just a friend Inuyasha," she sighed. "A friend that you had better not offend. I need him to help me study for my exams, he's one of the few who will." Best to leave it at that, she thought. It didn't matter if Hojo thought a bit more of her, did it? It wasn't like it was any of Inuyasha's business, not that he would care- he only seemed to now because he was being his usual over-protective paranoid self. Deciding to change the topic of conversation, she lit on his unexpected presence.

"So, why are you here? And make it quick, I can't just leave poor Hojo-kun out there all alone."

That nailed it. There was something about that bastard she wasn't telling him. 'Poor Hojo-kun' indeed. Well, he'd just make sure he never did get that chance to talk with her.

"I'm here to take you back of course. You're late, you said you'd be back at least an hour ago, so we're going right now."

"What? I can't go back today, it's Valentine's Day tomorrow!" She had completely forgotten saying that she'd go back so soon. But there was nothing she could do about that now; she had to stay didn't she? Although why bother when she probably wouldn't get a date anyways-

"Too late to change your mind now, wench! I don't give a shit what tomorrow is here! We. Are. Going." There, that should make sure that Hobo never got the chance to talk with her-

"Did you not hear me?" Inuyasha gulped at her icy tone. Maybe he shouldn't have been quite so harsh. "I. Can't. Go. Back." She punctuated every word with a finger prod to his chest, forcing him backwards in a way that might have been amusing if she wasn't serious. This way it was intimidating. "First, it's Valentine's Day tomorrow. Second, for once in my life, I actually have a date! And you are not going to make me miss out on this!"

With that, she stomped out of the door again, slamming it behind her to keep a certain hanyou from overhearing. Turning to Hojo, she smiled rather sweetly, in Hojo's opinion (he being too ignorant to recognize the difference between her horror-film fake one and her real one), and the poor boy immediately forgot his confusion, and Inuyasha's very existence.

"So Higurashi, I'm very glad you're well again- does this mean you can go to dinner with me tomorrow night?"

"Yes."

* * *

Later that evening, after a very tense dinner, Kagome still angry at Inuyasha for trying to drag her back so rudely and now cloistered with said anger alone in her room, Inuyasha went in search of Sota. There was definitely something about this 'Valentine's Day' he was missing, not to mention the meaning of a 'date', if Kagome thought those things valid excuses to stay another day. So far they seemed better than Shippo's reasons though. Inuyasha was determined to figure it out- and if a 'date' was what he thought it was, to get some revenge on that Hobo. Just a friend, his ass. Kagome might not think of the wimp that way (he hoped), but that bastard was definitely looking to her for something more than friendship, it was written all over his face! 

His plans for Hojo's slow dismemberment were interrupted as he finally found Sota in the living room, playing his video games as usual.

"Oi, kid, I need to talk to you." He said gruffly.

"What is it Inu-no-niichan?" Sota didn't even look up, so absorbed was he in the gore on the screen.

"I just want to ask you some stuff, but let's do it outside." Inuyasha muttered, a little embarrassed- to think he had to ask this runt questions!

Sota, a bit baffled, but very willing to follow his hero to the ends of the world and back, trotted out of the house after the hanyou. The hanyou turned around when they reached the Goshinboku, a serious look on his face as he crouched down to Sota's level.

"Oi, kid, what is 'Valentine's Day'?"

"You're joking aren't you, Inu-no-niichan?" Sota laughed, incredulous. How could he not know what Valentine's Day was? Inuyasha couldn't possibly be serious.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Inuyasha growled. He did not like to be laughed at, especially by little kids.

"Ah, well, no." Sota sobered quickly. Ignorant Inuyasha might have been about the modern era, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to inflict pain.

"Then start explaining."

"Well, Valentine's Day is this day where people who love each other are supposed to do special stuff for each other…But most of it ends up being friends who do it, it's not really taken that seriously-" Sota fumbled, a little out of his league here.

"What kind of stuff?" Inuyasha's face was blank, but his mind was working furiously; contrary to popular opinion, he was capable of thinking more things than he said out loud.

"Ummm, well, people give each other flowers and candy and stuffed animals and cards with nice stuff written in them-" Why couldn't Inuyasha have asked Kagome or Mrs. Higurashi to explain these things?

"What kind of stuff? Do they have written in them, the cards." He latched onto the first comment that came to mind while he continued to think. Maybe there was some hope. The wimp hadn't been carrying any of those card things or candy or whatever- maybe Kagome wouldn't go with him after all?

"Um, well, usually it's just 'Happy Valentine's Day', but sometimes it'll have other stuff, like, 'you're cute' or 'will you be mine?' or one time Nee-chan got this crazy one that played music and had stuff written on the inside I didn't get, but I bet it was dirty the way Nee-chan was blushing-" The look on Inuyasha's face was enough to make Sota reconsider his desire to get out of the conversation. It was too perfect!

"Who sent it to her?" Inuyasha barely managed to keep from growling, his thoughts shoved aside to make room for more pressing matters. Like anyone who might dare to make suggestive comments about _his_ Kagome, and how to find them and give them proper punishment. Drawing and quartering didn't sound so bad. A little merciful for his tastes though.

"Dunno. Don't think she knew either; most of the time, serious lovey-dovey Valentine's Day cards and stuff are sent anonymously, so if the person you like doesn't like you back, they never know it was you who sent it." Sota was definitely enjoying himself now, albeit in a rather sadistic way. There was nothing wrong with laughing at your hero's obvious jealousy, right?

Inuyasha decided he'd heard enough about Valentine's Day for now, and seeing as he had the gist of it, he moved on to more important matters. He'd have to find out the bastard who'd dared to send that card to Kagome some other time, no matter how much his hands itched to strangle him that very moment.

"What is a 'date' then?"

Sota knew better than to laugh this time, although it was all he could do to hold his guffaws in. Succeeding finally, his expression came under a prim mask, as if he were about to recite some noble speech or adage, or at least some admired bit of poetry. Which it probably was, to the person who had composed it.

"A date is when two people who like each other go out and do something together, in the romantic sense as a couple. Sometimes it's just to get to know each other, but usually it's just a chance for them to spend time together away from everyone else." Kagome had taught him well, he almost had her definition memorized. Looked like Inu-no-nii-chan didn't like it very much though.

"What!? So there's no way friends can be on a date?" Inuyasha didn't like where this was heading. Or rather, where it had reached. There was only the smallest sliver of hope to keep him from giving up on Hojo's status as 'just a friend' to Kagome.

"Huh? Of course not! It's not a date if people are just friends." Sota was a little surprised; wasn't that obvious from Nee-chan's definition? Maybe she needed to edit it or something.

Inuyasha groaned in defeat. To admit that Shippo had been right was only the least of his troubles, one that was easily ignored in the wave of doubt, depression, and self-disgust that flooded him. He slumped to the ground, forgetting Sota's presence entirely. To think he'd actually been stupid enough to think he had a chance with someone like her. He was a filthy hanyou for crying out loud! He was rude, he was ill-bred, he was inconsiderate, and he knew absolutely nothing about anything important to her. Everything the opposite of that bastard Hobo he'd met earlier. The baka had been sickeningly polite, thoughtful, and knew all about wooing a girl of this time. She must really detest him to prefer that idiotic wimp-

"Inu-no-nii-chan? Are you all right? You don't look so good…" Sota was a bit worried. It had been so much fun before, but now? His hero was crumpling at his feet. Something was definitely wrong.

Inuyasha barely heard him, he was so lost in thought. He didn't even seem to realize someone else was there, and so, in some perverse way, answered the question more fully than he normally would, with himself as the only intended audience.

"Kagome. She, she, she's got a date for Valentine's Day. With that damn bastard Hobo." He paused, and turned away, so Sota barely caught the moan he let out at the end. "She must really hate me to say yes to _him_…"

"What? But Inu-no-nii-chan, Nee-chan doesn't hate you at all!" Sota rushed to help. His sister had the best potential boyfriend in the world right here, his hero of all people, and there was no way he was going to let anyone get in the way of their/his happiness!

"Keh. As if you knew." Despite his callous words, Inuyasha did look a bit more hopeful. Which is to say, less on the verge of hanging himself and more to go hide in a dark corner for a few days, but hey, it was an improvement of sorts.

"But she doesn't hate you, I'm sure of it! Only last night I heard her saying your name in her sleep! And it definitely wasn't a nightmare, she was smiling."

That got his attention. "Sh-she dreams about me?" And not in a bad way? He asked himself, not daring to believe it.

"All the time!" Sota assured him quickly. Ok, so he had no idea what she dreamt about most of the time, and his finding out the night before had been the accident of too much broth at dinner, but if it had been Inuyasha last night, why not before? He had no idea how right he actually was.

"Then why the heck is she with that Hobo guy?" The doubt returned full-force. Nice try kid, his look said.

"Umm…Ok, I don't really know, but I do know that she keeps standing him up for dates!"

"Huh? How do you know that?"

"Because every time he comes by the house or calls to ask her out she pretends she's sick!" Fine, most of the time she was in the Sengoku Jidai, so for all intensive purposes she actually was sick, and he was supposed to tell everyone who called that, but hey she'd done it once or twice when she was at home as well, so why not?

"Really?" It would explain why that idiot had asked about her rheumatism. He tried to make the hope in his voice a little less obvious. Sota might not have noticed at all, except for the fact that he wasn't blind, deaf, or dumb.

"Yeah! Oh, and Inu-no-nii-chan?" Sota had quite the devilish idea in his mind. He took after his sister in more ways than he probably cared to know.

"What?" Inuyasha was completely off-guard at the moment, oblivious to Sota's conniving tone. He barely even heard himself ask the question, he was too busy dissecting everything that Hobo had said to or about her.

"You know how you can get Nee-chan away from Hojo?"

"How?" Now he was paying attention! Any advice at all to get her to forget that wimp was more than welcome.

"Chocolates!" Sota grinned as if it were absolute genius. He wasn't exactly expecting Inuyasha's confused look.

"Are those the little brown things that come in weird wrappers?" He asked, remembering Kagome giving something with a name like that to Shippo, but only vaguely.

Sota slapped his head to his forehead. First he didn't know what Valentine's Day was. Then dates. And now he barely knew about chocolate? Inuyasha was in store for a serious talk that night. This ignorance could not continue!

* * *

The next day Kagome was out of the house before Inuyasha had even woken up. Far from usual, considering how much he enjoyed waking with the dawn. But Sota's lecture the night before had stretched far later than either party had anticipated (Inuyasha had never imagined there was so much to Valentine's Day, dates, let alone chocolates, and Sota had never dreamed Inuyasha could know so little), and so he was tired enough to sleep through the sunrise, Kagome's alarm clock, and even her leaving the house. In fact, it wasn't till around noon that he woke up at all. 

He panicked immediately, thinking that he'd slept away all his time. Luckily for him, Mrs. Higurashi was at home when he did wake up, and perfectly willing to help him find what he needed, and fortunately she didn't tease him the way he'd expected her to. He made it back to the Shrine just in time to hide his acquisition before Kagome got home.

He really, really hoped that Sota was right about all of this. If he wasn't he'd pound the kid into his own grave, Kagome's kid brother or not. As much as he refused to admit it even to himself, he had a lot riding on being able to make her forget that bastard. Proving Shippo wrong was his cover-up, but deep down it barely made an imprint on the pile of reasons for him to care.

* * *

Kagome got home from school that day flushed with excitement. It didn't help that she'd received (and greedily consumed) all sorts of sweets already, or the attentions of more boys than she'd like to admit (or could have even dreamed of). But all that was nothing in her mind to the knowledge that for the first time, she had a date on Valentine's Day. She was so psyched for this, she had her outfit and makeup already planned (with some help from her friends), and she tore up to her room to start getting ready as soon as she made it through the front door. 

Around five, the doorbell rang again. Kagome leapt at it, having waited impatiently for the sound for the last ten minutes. She quickly bade her mother, brother, and grandfather goodbye (a little hurt that Inuyasha hadn't at least wanted to see her off), and left the house to follow Hojo off to dinner. They made small talk, he gave her some more flowers (roses again of course, trust Hojo to stick with the classic), and she tried to stop grinning like a bimbo as the car pulled away from the Shrine. This was her first date on this day of all days, and she was not going to let anything ruin it. She was going to have a good time, or else!

* * *

Inuyasha couldn't help but gawk at her from his rooftop perch. She had just gone outside and was making her way across the shrine compound and down the steps toward the street with that bumbling unappreciative bastard before her, making idiotic small talk. Inuyasha paused to savor the moment; it was rare for him to get the chance to admire her without worrying about anyone else noticing, and for once he let himself properly soak her in. 

The way the wind made her dark hair wave, not much but just enough to make the light from the setting sun shine off it all the brighter. The way the chill in the air made her cheeks flush just that delicate little bit, the pink offsetting her normally warm skin. The way her eyes sparkled and crinkled as she smiled at something that had caught her attention. The way she hugged herself to stay a bit warmer, unknowingly making the neck of her dress droop ever so slightly, cream and red satin clashing so vividly. The way the skirt of the dress fanned out, making the familiar sight of her lower thighs somehow an unexpected treat. The way her lips parted and curved, the way her neck bent and twisted, the way her eyebrows rose and fell, the way her shoulders tensed and relaxed, the way the way the way. He was lost in her. Completely, irrevocably, lost.

He didn't snap out of his stupor until the wind carried away her scent, the car herself, and the distance her voice. It didn't take long for said stupor to change to rampant rage and jealousy. Who the hell did that bastard think he was- he wasn't good enough to breathe the same air as her, and here he was daring to give her flowers! Daring to give her compliments! Daring to take her out to dinner with him! Inuyasha couldn't help the growl that escaped him, the twitch of his fingers as he longed to tear that damn undeserving fool away from her side.

But if she chose him…Who was he to judge? That Hobo was human, would never put her in danger in this world, would give her a chance at a normal, safe, happy life. And if she did go with the bastard, what could bring her back to the Sengoku Jidai? Which is exactly why he had to make sure she didn't choose him. He might not be quite ready to confess his feelings (he tried to ignore them as much as possible, so he wasn't exactly familiar with them), but he definitely wasn't ready to lose her altogether.

* * *

The dinner was not exactly going as well as Kagome had hoped. In fact it was going terribly. So terribly that she was having a hard time coming up with a worse evening in her life, even amongst all the terror and worry-filled ones of her time in the Feudal Era. Yes, it was going so badly she almost preferred the threat of an attack by Naraku. 

It had started off well enough. The restaurant was crowded for her taste, and the casual flirtations from the waiters (entirely unnoticed by Hojo) weren't welcome at all, but she had ignored that, and at least the food was good. Nothing special, but nothing bad either. The service wasn't that bad either, she convinced herself. Compared to Miroku the waiters weren't forward or perverted in the slightest! That thought helped her get through the first half-hour or so during which they ordered, ate their appetizers, and started on the main course.

But slowly, as they ran out of school and health related topics, Kagome was struck by just how dull and self-absorbed Hojo was. Polite of course; he was unfailing in acting the role of the perfect gentlemen; but entertaining? Interesting? Something other than oblivious to all but himself? Not really. She couldn't help compare the increasingly drab small talk with her own (occasionally heated but ever colorful) conversations with Inuyasha. They might yell and fight fairly often, but she was never bored in his company! She had to mentally slap herself after that thought; what did she think she was doing, thinking about the hanyou while on a date with Hojo! This was her big chance, the first time she'd gotten a date for Valentine's Day, and no matter how plain the conversation, she was not going to let herself ruin it!

That thought got her through the rest of the main course, but it couldn't keep her in the restaurant long enough for dessert. One more dish was more than she thought she could take before she screamed with boredom, first Valentine's Day date or not. So, with the excuse that she wasn't feeling well, they paid the check and left the restaurant.

It was as they left that the icing for this depressing date was laid out. As they walked the few blocks to the car, she felt the eyes of some men in an alleyway leering at her. She felt decidedly uncomfortable, and couldn't shake off the feeling that Hojo wouldn't be able to protect her quite the way Inuyasha could. That is, if he even figured out she needed protecting. He proved his density quite well in the next few moments.

As they finally passed the alley, she heard a few choice remarks flung at her.

"Pretty thing. Wonder how much she cost him?"

"She may have legs but the dress is cheap, so she's probably cheaper than it is."

"Any care to wager what her price is?"

"Why guess when we can find out the easy way and get some fun in the bargain? That weakling will run first chance he gets."

Kagome was practically in tears as she made it to the car, the insults still ringing in her ears, along with the laughs that came when she started to run. What was worse was the fact that they were right about Hojo, even if it wasn't for the reasons they thought. He probably would have run, but even if he had stayed by her, they would have knocked him out cold in seconds. She was even more upset at the concerned and confused queries Hojo gave her on the ride home. She'd never expected him to be so oblivious as to not notice the men earlier, and then not even understand their comments. He was under the impression that they were friends teasing her, and told her to stop worrying about something so silly. That was more than she could take, and it was an uncontrollably crying Kagome that a slightly worried Hojo left at the shrine.

She ran for her room to bury her face in her pillow, her door locked, trying to hide herself from the world. This had to be the worst date she'd ever been on-no, the worst evening she'd ever had. In the Sengoku Jidai she at least had someone to fight for or comfort her, whether it be Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Kirara, or even Shippo. Here she had no one.

* * *

Inuyasha took about ten minutes before he could move from his perch (still on the roof). He had been so torn between the desire to comfort Kagome and the need to rip that bastard to bits that he hadn't been able to do either until said bastard and his car had been out of sight and smell for a few minutes. He still had a hard time moving even after that, although for a rather different reason; while watching her return he'd gripped the edge of the roof so hard as to sink his claws in a couple inches deep, and now he had a hard time getting them out without destroying the wooden beam altogether. That finally accomplished, he dropped from the roof to go through her window around the other side of the house. 

He began to panic as he always did when she cried, and damn was she crying then! He barely felt his relief when he found the window open, he was so worried about her.

"Kagome…" he didn't really know what to say, what to do; all he knew was that he couldn't bear to watch her weep like that for another second. Feeling very awkward, he sat next to her on the bed, trying to get her attention. It wasn't working. Desperate, he hesitantly patted her arm. Still not working; she noticed the touch, and jerked her arm away, but probably thought it was just her cat, too lost to notice much of anything besides her bed and blankets. Finally it got too much, so he clumsily pulled her into his lap, put his arms around her, stroked her hair, anything to get her to stop. For a moment at least, it worked.

"Inuyasha? Wh-what are you doing?" She stammered, blushing furiously.

"Keh! What does it look like I'm doing?" he stalled, even more embarrassed than her, but still very glad the tears had stopped. If only he could get himself to let go of her, or stop stroking her hair or something but he somehow couldn't.

"Umm…" she decided not to comment on that one. The distraction not quite so new, her memory reasserted itself, and her eyes filled and began to spill yet again.

"Oi!" Inuyasha was worried now. He caught the salty tang of her tears as she started to sob again. Desperate to distract her somehow, he blurted out something her mother had been wondering earlier (and kept asking him for some reason, as if he knew!). "So, er, how did that 'date' thing go?"

The question only served to increase her tears, to his consternation. So much for mothers' famous wisdom. It might have been pleasant to have her burying her face in his shoulder, her arms flung about him so tightly, completely surrounded by her lovely scent, but not quite so much then. Not when she was crying! And even he wasn't dense enough (unlike Hojo) to figure out the time spent with the idiot had something to do with it. A low grow emanated from his chest, startling her into looking up at him, although the streams flowed just as freely down her cheeks.

But before he could say a word, she blurted out something that left his mind completely blank.

"Inuyasha…Y-you don't think I look like a prostitute, do you?" It had taken all her courage to ask, and even so the last few words were barely audible as her voice weakened to a whimper.

Inuyasha was so shocked, he immediately assumed the worst. "What the hell did that Hobo bastard do?" his growl was menacing. When he got his hands on that f-

"Huh?" she too was surprised, not linking the answer to her question with his query. Who was Hobo?

"You were crying the second you got here. Don't try to tell me it's not his fault somehow! You were fine when you left!"

"Oh…" she finally realized who he meant. And what he meant. She was a bit distracted after all. It wasn't every day he held her like this. "Well, it's not really his fault- I mean, he didn't do or say anything like that, or, or-" she fumbled, trying to avoid the topic and make sure Inuyasha didn't go ripping the human to shreds. Hojo might have been naïve and oblivious, but he wasn't mean. He hadn't meant for any of it to happen. And he certainly wasn't guilty for what Inuyasha seemed to be assuming.

"Just tell me what happened." An unusually perceptive demand from Inuyasha, but hey, miracles can happen, can't they? To cap it all off, he gingerly started to wipe the tears from her face with his thumb. She'd never known he could be so gentle; it touched her deeply.

That did it. She couldn't hold it in any longer, not from him, not when he was being so understanding and kind and comforting for once. Not when he was looking at her like that. So she told him. She told him everything, from the waiters and their flirts, to the boredom, to the men in the alley, all the way to Hojo thinking they were just friends and thinking her silly for getting upset over the joke. She tried to leave bits out, (the waiters for example, or Hojo and his polite dullness; he didn't need to know about that, did he?) but she couldn't; it all flowed out of her in such a purposeful rush, it was all she could do to keep every thought she'd had from him as well. When it was all out of her, she felt a lot better; somewhere along the way she'd stopped crying, and it felt so right to be with him like that. She couldn't help herself, after everything that had happened already. After she finished, she hugged him fiercely, burying her face in his shoulder once more before reluctantly pulling away.

There was only one problem. He wasn't having any of it. His arms around her waist (when did they get there?) were gentle, firm, and completely unyielding.

"Kagome," he started, not sure of what he should say. He could make death threats to all that had offended her, or drag her down the well right now so it couldn't happen again, but somehow he knew that neither would help much. So he said the first thing he could think of that wasn't overtly offensive, no matter how obvious and therefore meaningless it was to him.

"I, I, well, I'm sorry that happened. Just know, th-that I'll always be here to protect you, even thought I know I screwed up this time, I mean, if you still want me to, that is, I know you probably don't want me here, and dammit, you might even still want Hojo to do it instead-" he stuttered. His duty to protect her might have been obvious, but that didn't mean it was easy to put into words, dammit! Especially with her in _his lap_, and his arms so happily rebelling against his silent orders to let her go.

"Inuyasha…" She didn't know what to say to that. It was so unlike him! She knew he was protective of her, but it never occurred to her that he might care about her and that was why she couldn't take in what he was saying. Her date hadn't impeded her ability to detect shards in any way, so why was he sorry? She'd thought he cared because he couldn't let his shard-detector get rusty or whatever. He needed her for a job, nothing more. Or so she'd thought.

"Oh, and if you want me to track down all the men that upset you and kill them in violent ways, just ask." It was an afterthought, but one he thought he might as well say, seeing as he was saying so much useless stuff already. It wasn't like he wouldn't have done it anyways, but this way at least he could offer her something. His train of thought suddenly reminded him of something he'd planned earlier. This time his arms obeyed him (they probably knew they'd get another chance soon enough, even if he didn't).

Kagome was startled from her thoughts by the sensation of his large hands gently pulling her off his lap and placing her equally gently back on the bed. She blushed profusely; she hadn't meant to get so comfortable at all! She almost didn't notice when he stood up, and definitely didn't catch the look of regret on his face as he did so.

"Kagome, I have to go do something. Don't go anywhere." His words were tactful as always.

And with that he was out the door. She pouted a little at his retreat. How could he do that! It wasn't fair that he could drag her on his lap and hold her like that and then pull her off so nonchalantly! It depressed her a bit, and she began to doubt the second meaning she'd hopefully asserted from his words and caresses. Was that all just a show, to get her to stop crying? He'd said he hated it when she cried: could it just be something that applied to all women, and had nothing to do with her? It was these bitter thoughts lurking in her mind that poor Inuyasha returned to.

Fortunately for him, he had a distraction to occupy her mind, and her doubts were quickly pushed aside. He was concealing something behind his back, something that he made quite a show of (intentionally or not she couldn't tell) keeping hidden from her, no matter from what angle she might try to look at it. He hesitantly sat down next to her, his earlier boldness, born of desperation, having completely disappeared along with her tears. He was so shy this time she had to prompt him to say a word, no matter how much he tried to explain himself first, opening and closing his mouth god only knew how many times before she took pity on him.

"Inuyasha? What do you have in your hands?"

"Keh! None of your business!" Ok, that was decidedly stupid. But defensive was his natural reaction when pressed.

"Then why did you bring it in here?" She refused to be put off, even by his rudeness. She was very curious; it wasn't often that Inuyasha acted so awkward around her.

"Feh, because it's for you wench!" he cringed in anticipation of her reaction to that nickname. This was not one of the times he wanted her angry at him!

"Really? What is it, can't I see it?" She couldn't believe he'd actually gotten something for her; but why?

Inuyasha sighed in relief. It seemed she was too distracted to take offense. "It's for Valentine's Day," he mumbled, looking away to hide his blush. "Sota said you liked them."

Kagome stared at him for a moment, before taking the proffered, clumsily wrapped box from his hand. She looked back up at him in awe of the moment; this couldn't be for real, could it?

"Feh, stop looking at me like that! Just open it, dammit!" He turned to face her again, not able to take another moment of waiting. He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid, listening to that runt, she'd probably hate it, she'd probably hate him for it, she'd probably- His inner admonishments were cut off by her gasp. He looked up in dread. He knew it she hated it-

She threw her arms around him to plant a quick kiss on his cheek, backing off even quicker to hide her blush. He didn't seem to notice that though. He was a bit distracted for some reason or other. Maybe because he was still in shock?

"Thank you so much Inuyasha! I don't know where you found these, they're so rare!"

"Keh, they're just chocolates! It wasn't that hard." He was feeling just a bit better about giving them to her. Just a bit. Just enough to go from dread and depression to a very, very happy smug. He knew she'd like it, he just knew it!

"Yes, but Cadbury's? They don't normally sell them in Japan, you have to go to special stores and everything! I haven't had any in ages! Thank you so much again!"

She was grinning so happily at him, it was like she'd never cried at all. Inuyasha decided to stop doubting the power of chocolate from then on. Anything that could make Kagome that happy was sacred in his book. His blissful thoughts were interrupted as her smile suddenly fell away; she looked up at him crestfallen.

"What is it?" He asked, more than a little concerned. He hadn't done anything wrong, had he?

"Well, I wanted to give you some, because I bet you've never had any before and they're so good and I wanted to thank you and everything-"

"But?" Might as well get to the point; he couldn't make her happy again unless he knew what the problem was!

"But, well, you're inu-hanyou, and chocolate is poisonous to dogs, so I don't think I can give any to you. I'm really sorry, I just couldn't bear it if you got sick and died because of me!"

"Keh, is that all? Stop it, I don't care, just stop looking all sad. I hate it when you're unhappy." Shit. He slapped his hand over his betraying mouth before it let loose anything worse. But it was too late, she'd heard. Now he just tried to stop blushing so much, but that didn't work so well either.

"Inuyasha?" She looked into his eyes, hers full of hope, his trying desperately to break away from her gaze, and failing hopelessly. That comment gave her a bit of bravery she hadn't known she'd possessed.

"Inuyasha, I know the day is almost over, so this is probably late, but," now it was her turn to blush, but she didn't turn away. "Will you be my Valentine?" She meant it, and she wanted an answer. Too bad she forgot he hadn't even known what Valentine's Day was.

Before she got too disappointed by his silence, Inuyasha finally remembered Sota mentioning this bit in their chat the night before. He looked at her in shock for a moment as the meaning connected.

"What did you say?" He couldn't have heard right, could he? She didn't like him that way, did she?

"I said, will you be my Valentine?" she repeated, blushing all the more, but still waiting for an answer.

"You're serious? You're not joking, are you?" He couldn't believe it; the chocolates alone couldn't be doing this, could they? He decided to vocalize that thought. "This isn't just the chocolates talking, is it?"

A little wounded that he apparently didn't _want_ to believe it, her tone turned a bit harsh. "Of course I meant it baka! Of course I'm serious, and of course it's not just the chocolates! I like them a lot, but not_ that_ much!"

He barely even noticed her anger. She'd meant it she really, really had-and here he was being an idiot and just staring off like some ninny while she waited. Well, no time to fix that like the present. He didn't really trust himself to express himself with words, so he chose the other, much more enticing option.

Leaning down as he'd longed to do for so long, he met her lips with his for a kiss.

He closed his eyes, feeling hers staring back at him in utter shock, hoping she'd relax enough to close them. He buried one hand in her hair at the nape of her neck, luxuriating in the feel of the silky strands even as he supported the back of her head, letting him lower his head further. The other hand he brought to gently rest at her waist, and he kept it still, despite his long-suppressed desires, in fear of scaring her off. Because that fear was real; he could feel the stiffness in every part of her, emanating from every point they touched, from her very scent, from her very aura. Her neck was tense, her waist taught, and her lips…He moved his across hers timidly, not daring to try anything, just willing her to react somehow, because at the moment her lips seemed frozen beneath his touch, immobilized to the extreme; he even imagined them pursed in disapproval. Every fiber within him was willing her to respond, desperate.

And then she did. And it _was_ like heaven, only better.

For Kagome's part, she had been utterly shocked. Sure, she'd just asked him to be her Valentine; she'd half expected him to refuse on the grounds of it being too sissy, but in the hopes of him actually understanding her meaning, she'd said it anyway. But she had never expected this. Not in her wildest dreams (ok fine but those same dreams tended to have flying bunnies too) had she expected such an answer. And it took her a few moments for the feel of his hands and lips to really sink in, along with the meaning behind them. But when it did…

Something awoke in her, some inner fire that had been hidden for so long. It consumed her modesty, her normal embarrassment withering in its flames, ashes on the wind as the reality of her position took hold. She wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer, giggling a little at his low growl (of equal parts relief and pleasure), deepening the kiss as much as she could. She shuddered as the feel of his long thick hair brushed past her face, so that all she could see to the sides were silver and all she could look at before her was the gold of his eyes, and his heart within them. Her body suddenly lithe, she arched it into his, pressing herself against him, bending more than she'd known she could. Every part of her that had contact with him added fuel to her passion, her stomach flattened against his, her breasts crushed against his solid chest, her arms in their vice-like grip about his neck and shoulders, her waist and hips under one hand, and her neck held by the other all set her blood to boiling, and her feelings to bursting.

Her lips now sensuously moved against his; teasingly they parted, only for him to eagerly accept entry, startling her a bit before her desires took over, the taste of him flooding through her just as the feel of him continued to do so. She felt sassy, sensual and daring, and so alive; she felt every beat of her heart, every beat of his heart, pulsing blood through them both; she felt the air rush into her lungs every time their lips parted, heard it rush into his in a similarly quick gasp; every muscle stretched and pushed with a new energy, and every nerve tingled fiercely.

Slowly as she pulled and he leaned down farther and farther, her back came closer and closer to the bedspread, and only his firm hand at her back kept her from falling over completely. The couple was a little distracted to notice their position however. So it was with no idea of the consequences that Kagome leaned back farther, baring her sensitive throat to his hungry ministrations, and fell over finally, bringing him down with her. Not that falling back onto a mattress could stop them. No, it was the surprised laugh from the doorway that startled them. Blushing furiously, they looked up to see a grinning Sota peeking in. He gave Inuyasha the thumbs up, completely undeterred by the glares sent his way.

"Told you the chocolates would work!"

Kagome and Inuyasha were still too speechless to comment, but even Sota couldn't miss the change of mood in the room entirely.

"I'll just go then…Let you have your privacy…"he said, pulling back and closing the door quickly. The sounds after he did so reminded Kagome of furniture being scraped around. Not that that could have stopped Inuyasha for long. But she wasn't quite ready for him to leave yet, even to give her brother his much-needed thrashing.

"Inuyasha," she put a hand on his arm, calling his attention back to her. "You never answered my question."

"Huh?" Inuyasha looked down in confusion. He was obviously still thinking about Sota or the kiss. Judging from the way his scowl turned to a blush as he looked down at her (they were still in a rather intimate position after all, her pinned beneath him on the mattress, his face only inches from her own) it was the kiss. Then his memory finally clicked, although with a different question than the one she had in mind.

"Stop being such a baka. You look nothing like a prostitute." Their position had nothing to do with which question he remembered at all. Not one bit. He swears. Under pain of Kagome's glare of death _and_ osuwari.

"W-what?" Now it was her turn to be confused. Then she remembered. She laughed a little, and rushed to explain before he got offended.

"No, I meant my other question," she paused a moment to make sure he'd understood finally; he nodded slowly; she continued.

"Will you be my Valentine?" she reiterated. She had to know. Poor Inuyasha, it appeared the kiss wasn't quite enough to convince her. She wanted an articulate answer, one she could trust.

He rolled his eyes. "Baka. Wasn't my first answer enough? Or was that bastard brother of yours lying when he said someone's Valentine is their beloved?" His tone was light, but his eyes burned into hers. They were intense, full of emotion and meaning.

She blushed all the more at his words. "No, he wasn't lying," she answered quietly. She leaned up to give him a sweet, short kiss, full of gratitude and understanding. "Thank you." She gave him a small smile as she pulled back.

He stared at her a moment, gauging her reaction. Finally coming to his conclusion, his face broke into a very smug smirk.

"I guess the chocolates did work."

Noticing the tease in his voice, she responded in turn. "Of course they did! Never, ever underestimate the power of chocolate."

* * *

**A/N:** Ok, I know I'm a week late, but I can't help when the ideas come! And when this one came I just couldn't resist. This was my first one-shot; I think I might do more in the future if anyone's interested, it was fun. 

And chocolates (haha) to anyone who gets my metaphor. Not that you need to, it's just for those nerds like myself who tend to over-analyze; this way when they do so, it doesn't ruin it!

Most of all, I hope you guys enjoy this at least a fraction as much as I enjoyed writing it!


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